It's Official: Cassell and Wittman Join Staff

The Wizards just released a statement announcing the hiring of Randy Wittman and Sam Cassell as assistant coaches for Flip Saunders.

"Randy and Sam will be excellent additions to our coaching staff, and both will be instrumental in helping us achieve our goals," Saunders said in a statement. "Randy brings a wealth of experience as a former head coach of two different teams and is very familiar with my system. I always regarded Sam as a coach on the floor during his playing days, and he brings instant credibility as a three-time NBA champion and a proven winner."

Wittman, a former head coach in Minnesota and Cleveland, was orginially drafted by the Washington Bullets in 1983. He played nine seasons with Atlanta, Sacramento and Indiana and was a longtime assistant for Saunders in Minnesota. "I'm excited for the opportunity to work with Flip again, and I'm confident that the staff he is assembling will complement the talented roster that is already in place," Wittman said. "I'm eager to help this team reach the next level and ready to get to work immediately on the court."

Cassell, the Baltimore native, just completed his 15th season in the NBA and won three championships with Houston and Boston. He played for Saunders for two seasons in Minnesota, reaching the Western Conference Finals in 2004. He also worked with Ernie Grunfeld for more than four seasons in Milwaukee, reaching the Eastern Conference Finals in 2001. "After 15 seasons playing in this league, I have accomplished all that I have dreamed of as a player," Cassell said. "Now the time has come for to me to take my love for the game to the coaching ranks and pass on what I've learned. This team is loaded with talent, and it's a great way for me to start my coaching career."

Here is Ford's mention of a Wizards/Thunder trade in his newest ESPN.com article....

"That's why a couple of teams think the Thunder might be willing to trade down in the draft. Two league sources said the Wizards and Thunder already had discussions about a swap of the No. 3 pick for the No. 5 pick and the Wizards' 2008 first-rounder JaVale McGee.

The Wizards want Rubio and would settle for Thabeet if he's the one who falls. The Thunder would get a long, lanky shot-blocker in McGee and can then get another guy they like, Arizona State's James Harden, at No. 5."

Roman5
I'd rather dangle Blatche than McGee especially if the end result were Blake Griffin. But I'd gladly ship out AB for a chance at Rubio. You actually get younger and more professionialism from double R.

That Trade would be so stupid...Javal is going to be a player in this league. His mother alone will not allow him to be a bust. If you dangle any players it have to be any of the following: DeSteve, DSong, Etan, James, Javis, Pech, Draft Pick. The only way I trade AB is if his comes to camp looking the same. Other than that keep the core players.

Unseld's contract wasn't up. The other coaches' contracts were. Not saying people are wrong in assuming Wes, Jr. has a job for life with this club, but his not being fired isn't really evidence one way or the other.

Lisa - he consensus on every scouting site on the web is that Rubio is indeed NBA ready. He's still a young kid and doesn't have an NBA body, but he's got good size and a lot of savvy for a young point guard. Remember, this kid has been playing professional ball for years now, and he's only 19. He'd have problems with the physical nature of the NBA game, but most rookies (particularly international players) do. He's highly likely to be able to contribute - and possibly start depending on who it is that drafts him - from day one. His buyout isn't much of a concern because his agent is adamant that his rookie salary, endorsements, and (I'm imagining) the small portion that his NBA team can pay should be enough to cover the buyout. What's more of a concern with Rubio is the stance his camp is taking in trying to force Memphis into trading the pick. Already they're saying if Memphis drafts him he will stay overseas and they'd prefer to go to Sac or LA. If DC isn't on his short list of "desired locations" drafting him wouldn't make much sense anyway.

Off topic: Craig Stammen is pitching a heckuva game for the Nats right now, and he's getting some great defensive support. I'm kind of liking the young starters here in DC, but the bullpen is absolutely horrid.

"Unseld's contract wasn't up. The other coaches' contracts were. Not saying people are wrong in assuming Wes, Jr. has a job for life with this club, but his not being fired isn't really evidence one way or the other.

Posted by: IrenePollin | May 21, 2009 8:21 PM "

That's BS.

Wasn't it last summer where all the assistants got their contracts renewed for 1 year.

"Like it or not, Abe values Wes Sr's loyalty. As a result 'Jr can have whatever he likes'. The phrase 'it's not what you know, it's who you know' is true in many businesses.

Don't hate the player, hate the game!

Posted by: abootstrapper | May 21, 2009 8:24 PM ""

Correction, what is Wes Sr's loyalty have to do with anything? Abe should let the GM and the coach do their thing, not meddle on keeping Wes Jr. on the payroll for no reason while letting a quality guy like Hopla go who actually helped the players improve their shooting.

Thabeet's 10 rebounds a game don't seem like much for a guy that big. I don't think he's worth chasing, but if he falls to us, fine.

If Memphis is enamored with Thabeet and Rubio, perhaps there's a way to help them get both if we give them our #5 and their choice of any not-big 3 player on our roster if we can get OJ Mayo in return.

bullets: "a concern with Rubio is the stance his camp is taking in trying to force Memphis into trading the pick. Already they're saying if Memphis drafts him he will stay overseas and they'd prefer to go to Sac or LA."

This I didn't know. Any idea what his objection to Memphis is?

cballer: "perhaps there's a way to help them get both if we give them our #5 and their choice of any not-big 3 player on our roster if we can get OJ Mayo in return."

I'd say not a chance in hell. Mayo is the Grizz' future. He slacked in the second half (predictably), but that's quite a scorer there. I don't know why you'd want to pair him with Ricky Rubio, though, so they may finagle a trade with somebody.

Correction, what is Wes Sr's loyalty have to do with anything? Abe should let the GM and the coach do their thing, not meddle on keeping Wes Jr. on the payroll for no reason while letting a quality guy like Hopla go who actually helped the players improve their shooting.

Posted by: DC_MAN88 | May 21, 2009 9:20 PM

My statement doesn't need your correction. It's obvious that in Abe's shop, loyalty has a lot to do with his decision. The proof is in the pudding. Wes Jr is still working with the organization.

As for Jr's skills, how do you know that he is not a quality assistant coach? What is your proof that he is just being kept on the payroll? Provide concrete evidence.

At any rate, this discussion is moot. It's Abe's team, and he will do as he pleases.

It's literally his business and building, he can meddle in any situation around the Verizon Center. He writes the checks.

When you buy the team you can throw Jr out on the street. Until then, he stays.

As much as I have hated on Thabeet in the past, he IS tall and he DID play well against a lot of good teams. He hasnt been playing ball that long, either so he has the potential to improve. And even if all he winds up doing is blocking shots, that's a skill that no one on our team besides McGuire has in abundance.
Sure, McGee gets a few here and there but thus far, no one has been afraid to challenge him.

If there's one game changer in this draft, it's Thabeet and not Griffin. Getting 20 and 10 doesn't changing the game necessarily but keeping opponents out of the lane IS.

In a draft like this one, if we have a chance to move up to get Thabeet, we should at least explore it. JM has a chance to be a good one but in a best case scenario, who could he be? He's clearly not KG-like. I would say his peak would be Rasheed. On the other hand, Thabeet's peak could be Dikembe. Deek probably had more of an effect on the game because he was able to change the style of his opponents. No one can indiscriminately drive down the lane when he was in his prime. That allows perimeter defenders to stay with their men and would finally eliminate our "open 3's" problem.

The risk is that Thabeet is more like DeSagana Diop. Good chance of that, unfortunately.

f__k that trade. Javale has too much upside. The wiz have a good core of youth and vets. The vets just got to stay healthy. Just like last year, if Gil goes down, they gonna be mediocre at best, I dont care who they realistically add to the team.

original: "n a draft like this one, if we have a chance to move up to get Thabeet, we should at least explore it."

No harm in exploring, but really, what would be the benefit? Thabeet isn't what the Wiz need, and he's pretty high risk even at 3 (SI's mock has him falling farther.) I can't believe an NBA club would pass on a 7'3" center all the way to 5, but it could happen.

"If there's one game changer in this draft, it's Thabeet and not Griffin."

I'd put money on it that potential-wise, Rubio has by far the most to become a 'game-changer' out of anybody in that top tier. Thabeet will never be Shaq, he'll never be Duncan, he'll never Yao, he'll never be Hakeem. Ever. Rubio can be special. He can be a Kidd, a Deron Williams, a Steve Nash (with defense). IMO, by far the highest ceiling in this draft.

And if we're drafting on potential, Tyreke Evans or DeMar Derozan should be the choices. Giving up assets to get Thabeet for a guy that has a slight possibility of becoming dominant and only a moderate chance at becoming a full-time starter isn't my idea of good strategy. Stay where you are and draft guys with equal potential without giving up anything in return. If we trade up, do it for Rubio, if not, select Evans or Derozan. That's my take.

Saunders philosophy: "The young players have a lot of potential. Your potential is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do, and your character and attitude determines how well you do it. It's important for the coaching staff, it's important for the veteran players to help the young players understand what kind of attitude and character is needed to be successful in this league.."

Saunders ought to prioritize the team's efforts in this regard on 2 or 3 young players next year.

The first criteria ought to be high potential. That eliminates McGuire and Pech and puts Crit on the bubble.

The second criteria ought to be motivation. That puts Blatche on the bubble.

The third criteria ought to be attitude and character. That puts Young on the bubble.

The only young player that merits a commitment at this point is McGee.

Saunders needs to make a quick assessment as to whether he wants to invest the time and effort into developing any of the other young players.

Guys I think that we are to hard on Sam Cassell. He has 3 rings so he must know and listen to someone. He cann't hurt. The Wiz should keep their pick and trade Ethan, DeStevens, and Pis or trade the pick with one of these guys for a good solid player.

um.. the trade scenario regarding Mcghee the #5 pick for the #3 pick might pan out....because that rubio kid is simply amazing but i just see him being in phoenix for some reason..or toronto. So moving up for the #3 would be nice, if memphis decides to draft thabeet.

rubio would be even better trade bait along with two expiring contracts and blatche for the services of a lee,stoudamire,bosh,milsap...

i do trust grunfield cos hes made some great decisions on bringing in Caron Butler(for a bum in kwame brown) and jamison. So i remain optimistic that moving up to draft rubio would be better trade bait for new york,phoenix or toronto

Rubio could also be Jason Williams or Luke Ridnour. We need to make sure we're not so enamored of the kid that we don't entertain the possibility that he could fail.

I think the best move is to get Jordan Hill and stand pat. We shouldn't need scoring with Gil, Aj , and CB starting. The main thing we need is interior defense (which should allow us to extend the perimeter defense). Although Hill won't help us at all this year, we have to assume that AJ is trade bait at some point. It never hurts to have a young big man who likes to rebound on the roster.

We could also use a 2 guard but is Flip seriously gonna start a rookie or give them minutes over DS and NY? I doubt it.

izman: "The first criteria ought to be high potential. That eliminates McGuire and Pech and puts Crit on the bubble.
The second criteria ought to be motivation. That puts Blatche on the bubble.
The third criteria ought to be attitude and character. That puts Young on the bubble.
The only young player that merits a commitment at this point is McGee"

Just one comment: the only one on that list who's really developed -- shown clear improvement and readiness to assume a consistent role -- is McGuire. He may have the least upside, but he's got the most 'now-side'. You eliminated him.

Second most improvement to date is probably Crittenton. Him, you bubbled.

McGee shouldn't even be on the list because nobody is going to give up on him yet.

Samson 151: The rap Memphis has in Spanish basketball circles, thanks to, among other things, comments Pau Gasol made upon leaving, is that it's kind of a Hickville, certainly not at the cosmopolitan level of a Madrid or a Barcelona. I can't help thinking that OKC or Sacramento probably don't rate much higher.

If he sends the right signals, I suppose Rubio could scare teams into passing on him and he might fall, or, more likely, trading up for him could become possible. He could also just pull out of the draft and try again next year.

I happened to be overseas flipping through the channels last Saturday and started watching a Spanish league game with Rubio in it...he played about 10 unimpressive minutes (I kept waiting for this sensational defensive pressence or awe inspiring court savey to appear--but saw none of it.) And then while defending at the top of the key he got his own legs tangled trying to defend a simple cross-over dribble and went down crying while his man blew by him. Sounds like a severe groin injury. It was just a very small sampling but I was certainly not impressed by his athletic ability either. http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/The_Baseline/entry/view/24283/draft_prospect_rubio_hurt_in_spanish_playoffs

originalmark: 'Rubio could also be Jason Williams or Luke Ridnour. We need to make sure we're not so enamored of the kid that we don't entertain the possibility that he could fail."

Both Jason and Ridnour are quality players but limited -- Jason by his judgment and inconsistent shooting, Ridnour by slowness afoot. Steve Nash isn't that fast either, but he never stops moving, which makes up for a lot of it.

To me, the problem with a guy like Rubio is the same with any European player -- you just haven't seen that much of him, compared to the US players. I'd include Thabeet among the US group; he's much more a known quantity than Ricky.

"If there's one game changer in this draft, it's Thabeet and not Griffin. Getting 20 and 10 doesn't changing the game necessarily but keeping opponents out of the lane IS."

Getting 20 and 10 most definitely does "change the game" if it's done by dominating the glass and the paint. As for "keeping opponents out of the lane . . ." the NBA isn't college. The coprs of NBA guards features a lot fewer undersized jumpshooters and a lot more tall, long attackers who aren't going to be as easily deterred by the presence of a would-be shotblocker. The idea that Thabeet is going to somehow scare teams into taking all jumpshots is wildly overblown.

He also doesn't physically dominate the boards or the paint on offense, which Blake Griffin does. That's the 20 and 10 I'm talking about. (And it's also the 20 and 10 you were talking about, since you were clearly making a direct comparison between Griffin and Thabeet in your original post. Nice attempt at a misdirect by bringing in Jamison, but no go.)

"Just one comment: the only one on that list who's really developed -- shown clear improvement and readiness to assume a consistent role -- is McGuire. He may have the least upside, but he's got the most 'now-side'. You eliminated him."

Yeah. I would love to know on what basis people have decided that McGuire has no "potential." He's got great physical athletic ability and, unlike most of the other Wiz kids, he actually understands how to play team basketball. Whatever he lacks in terms of skill (shooting, ballhandling) can be easily acquired through hard offseason work, which he clearly has no problems with. On the Flip side, aside from physical talent, most of his classmates don't seem to have a clue. McGuire has a much shorter road to filling in the blank spots than the others do.

I think they need to focus on the second round draft, to scout well to find an immidate contributer from SP position, i would like to see a 6.6 defenssive minded gard. The decision about the 1st round draft is complicated. Both hill and harden are good helps for teams like washington.Every body think washington is full of talent , but i do not.
Our PG is injured for 2 years, not a true PG, does not have a game leading talent .
We have no SG
our SF is injury pron, does not play defense, turnover prone.
Our PF is a perimeter shooter with good personality and good rebounding.
We have a good center.
I would mind if EG draft a talented player and try to trade him at midseason with the expiring contract.No need to rash for trade.The idea of exchanging 3 by 5 is not some thing our GM considers, it does not serve him any purpose unless it opens a way of damping one of the bad contract.

Yes, I do think that Cassell can get through to Hibachi. For one thing, they have this in common; they're both uncommon.

Sam I Am will show not-so-young grasshopper how to channel his eccentricity into winning. And Sam was never one to shy away from setting fools straight. If he doesn't have a place in this locker room, then no one else does either.

The best trade possiblity that we need to look forward is with bulls, with out touching our core and giving up too much youngesters, it is possible to land Hinirich and Salmoon.
Hinirich is affordable and will have some trade value in 2010, he could be a starter at SG or a security for PG if arenas is out. an excellent defender, salmoon can come from bench for both SG and SF position, a sound defender , could start at Sg to defend big SG like kobe.This trade will also help us to be big by taking the late 1st pick.we can take the North carolina big man who can shoot& rebound the ball.
The next despriate team that could negotiate will be detroit.I do not see any piece that could be acquired to help us to the next level.prince is injured, might not be avaliabe for most of 2009-2010 season.Rip hamilton is afordable , excellent shooter and can spread the floor very well.He is not a good ball handler,he is not going to provide enough assistance to arenas on defense.I think geting him for young or stevenson or Blache, #5 pick and one ofthe potential expiring contract will put us in a good situations to take #15 pick.

Sam is gonna be great for GA...a insider tells me GA is excited about the new staff becuz him and EJ didnt get alone becuz ernie picked GA in 2003 and eddie wanted K Ollie...WOW great eddie but my insider said thats why GA didnt want to be the leader becuz EJ didnt want him he just had to deal with him...and if this is true i hate eddie for this..i heard when GA hurt his knee back in 07 EJ had a meeting with DS and AD and said(im happy he got hurt we dont need a guy out there trying to score 50 anyway and it can show that i can coach without so when he opts out i can get a PG i want...and rumor is EJ started the WERE better without GA so ernie was forced not to pay him...AND THAT WHY EJ WAS FIRED last season becuz ernie needed a reason to get rid of him becuz9 GA said my coach hated me for 6 years now and ive never said anything to him or about him but everybody thinks im the bad guy so if i come back here i cant play for EDDIE we will never win a championship with him as the coach becuz he wishing he had the old NJ team so he does teach or coach us .I will be a leader for a new coach not EJ....IF THATS ALL TRUE WOW..I CANT WAIT TIL OCT